ASK THE HEADHUNTER Where did your jobs really come from?

[deanwebb]

Where did your jobs really come from?

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In the April 3, 2018 Ask The Headhunter Newsletter, I steal an idea from a couple of readers about where we find our jobs. Question (from me to you) In a recent column, The worst job hunting advice ever, an HR manager beat me up for giving out bad advice. Then a reader — Kevin — took off on a really interesting tangent in the comments section about how he finds work. Mo' betta than that, Kevin listed how he got every job he’s had. Not to be outdone, reader

[deanwebb]

Well, the HTML borked again on this article...

All the same, the gist of the article was that career development isn't something you want to leave up to internal job moves and want ads. The exercise was to write down all the ways you got jobs and then reflect on how the job you got with that method turned out.

1. Want ad in the paper - hated it
2. Another want ad, another hated job
3. Another want ad, I don't think these guys even paid me
4. I walked in and said I wanted to write for the paper and got the job after proving myself. Good times.
5. Got a freelance writing job because I wrote the magazine editor and proved myself. More good times.
6. Want ad, got a pizza delivery job. Meh.
7. Walked into various school districts to apply as a substitute. Enjoyed.
8. Went to more than one school to talk with principals about an internship. Eventually, got one.
9. After getting certified as a teacher, went to multiple districts to shake hands with HR and get my name in the mix. Got the job.
10. Want ad to work at Microsoft as a temp... what luck, it worked!
11. Friend suggested a contract job... worked OK, but ended.
12. Want ad to get a job with a consulting company. Meh.
13. Job fair to get a sysadmin role. More meh.
14. Friend suggesting I apply over at Microsoft as a FTE. Walked in, showed what I had, got the job. Sweet.
15. Changed career, went back to the one school district I wanted to work at, got the job teaching what I wanted at the school I wanted to teach it at. 11 years of exactly what I wanted.
16. Changed career again, took an online job listing for the first FTE role that came along. Sold myself to the HR guy, got the job I wanted to lead to better things.
17. Recruited to work at Global Megacorp. Nice. I really enjoyed that role, overall.
18. Walked in to talk with the manager at $VENDOR. 90 minutes later, he suggested I apply for the role...

Point being, my best career moves are where I took charge of the situation or took a friend's advice. All of these went around the want ads and the HR-wall. If I make another career move, it will be only after I talk to another manager, director, or executive about the role *before* I apply for it.